Phantoms of Folklore

Underwater Paradise

Look into the liquid mirror with watery depths below

There dwells the vengeful snake woman: Maman Dlo

 

Underwater Paradise

Mila watched the golden sun make its way down the sky leaving a trail of colours in its wake. She hurriedly tried to complete her washing, bent over the water's edge, making use of the last few rays of light. Her mother had sent her to the river to rinse her school clothes for the following week. It was Saturday evening. Many girls came to the river to do their washing on weekends but not this late: Mila had waited till the last moment to complete her chore. She finished washing the last article of clothing and quickly stuffed it in the wicker basket along with the other damp things. Mother would hang the clothes out to dry all day Sunday in the baking heat. She picked up the basket. It was heavier now that it was full of wet clothes. She struggled with it as she made her way up the path from the river to the village. That was when she heard a strange noise cut through the trees.

Mila jumped, startled. She looked around and then instinctively darted into a nearby tuft of tall grass dotted with weeds. She sat on ground still holding the basket so that both she and it were concealed. The high-pitched noise grew louder. It was sort of a wail, no a simper - Mila's thoughts were interrupted as a girl came hurtling through the trees. She ran to the river doubled over. What was wrong with her? She was...laughing. Mila breathed a sigh of relief. She peeked out from behind the tall blades of grass. It was her best friend, Marisol. Mila should have known. Marisol was always behaving raucously. Her laughter echoed through the forest. A boy emerged from the trees, behind Marisol. He was laughing too. Mila recognized the boy from school. He was a known trouble-maker and the reason Marisol and Mila had quarreled earlier that day. Mila felt that Marisol needed to focus. Marisol was failing almost every subject. She would be held back if she did not improve her grades but she did not seem to care. Marisol's tall, slender frame and her glowing skin and hair made her popular with the boys and she seemed to like that. The boy and Marisol parted ways after a few more shared laughs.

Mila watched as Marisol knelt scrubbing her clothes on the rocks. She had brought just a few pieces to wash. The boy had been carrying her basket which now lay next to Marisol on the riverside. Mila got up carefully. She did not want Marisol to see her. She knew Marisol would give her the cold shoulder. She was about to pick up her basket when Marisol's audible gasp made her turn around. Marisol looked dumbstruck, staring in disbelief at something in the river. Mila craned her neck trying to spot what Marisol was seeing. Mila's eyes landed on a figure slowly rising out of the water. It was a woman. She was beautiful but there was something quite strange about her. Mila did not realize it at first and then she gasped. She clamped her hand over her own mouth to stop the noise escaping. The woman's skin had a faint green tinge to it and the long curls of her hair were green as well, the colour of dark moss.

The woman stood in the water. Her eyes, skin and hair shone ethereally. Her otherworldly glow illuminated the forest. The sun had gone down by now and they were immersed in darkness. The woman seemed to float towards Marisol who sat hypnotized on the bank. As the woman neared Marisol, the increasingly shallow water uncovered more of her body. Mila stifled a scream. She was no woman at all. She was not even human. Her top half resembled a stunning young woman and her bottom half was like the body of a colossal snake. She stood on the thickest part of her tail. The tip of her tail rose out of the water curling dangerously. Mila realized the woman had no reflection in the river water. The woman was quite near to Marisol who seemed frozen in place. Mila also found herself unable to move. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Her entire body trembled. 

The spell of silence that the woman had cast over the forest was broken by Marisol's scream. The woman had snaked her tail around Marisol's waist, dragging her off of the river bank and into the water. With one last look around the forest, the half-woman-half-snake dove into the river pulling a helpless Marisol with her. The splash that followed sent ripples through every part of the river and then it was still as if nothing had happened.